


Sunny Garden, Starry Morning

by ideallyqualia



Series: Rare Pairs [54]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern with Magic, M/M, Pre-Relationship, Rabbits, Witch Familiar!Shirabu, Witches, witch!oikawa
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-01
Updated: 2015-11-01
Packaged: 2018-04-29 06:53:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,451
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5119163
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ideallyqualia/pseuds/ideallyqualia
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The one rule of the transformation spell Oikawa found: you can only use it on a magically attuned animal.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sunny Garden, Starry Morning

Oikawa shook his book in the air by its hard cover, waggling it to shake off the dirt and vegetable remains. Shirabu spent an hour outside earlier, digging in the dirt and chewing on grass blades. He tracked in dirt through the house, and he dragged a few leaves of lettuce up to Oikawa's desk to nibble, leaving his leftovers scattered over books and papers. 

"Shirabu! You made a huge mess!" 

Shirabu's legs twitched as he turned in place, looking up at Oikawa and flicking his ears.

"I'm not letting you outside for a week! Stay out of the way," Oikawa said.

Shirabu hopped off the table and skipped away, running out of Oikawa's room to the living room. Oikawa grimaced and returned to cleaning up. After a few minutes, he gave up and spelled the mess away.

Oikawa followed Shirabu and found him on the couch, huddled next to a pillow. Shirabu's feet jerked a little as he shifted.

Oikawa kept walking once he was reassured that Shirabu wasn't doing anything. Oikawa went into his library, and he took down a couple books on plant magic. Shirabu ate through a lot of vegetables, and Oikawa was still trying to decide how to find a constant supply for him. Despite being his familiar, Shirabu didn't offer Oikawa any help on the subject. He didn't like reading technical books on magic with him. Shirabu cast a bored look to him each time, but Oikawa suspected that he didn't like the research since he couldn't cast the same magic as Oikawa. Shirabu used simple magic by instinct, and sometimes by accident.

Oikawa flipped through a spell book. One of the books he found wasn't really what he was looking for. There weren't spells on growing plants, but on transformation and metamorphosis. Some of them involved turning plants into objects, so Oikawa could see why his location spell brought it to him.

Oikawa almost put it away, but he skimmed by a page that caught his eye, and he paused. There was a spell to transform an animal into a human. It could only be a magically attuned animal, according to the text. There were examples of domestic dragons, phoenixes, and other mythological creatures, but familiars were listed at the bottom of the page, included with witches that were cursed into being animals.

Oikawa bookmarked the page to return to later. Shirabu came to mind right away, but Oikawa had other things to do. There was a cleared section of bare dirt outside that was ready for vegetables and herbs to be planted, and he wanted to finish before Shirabu decided to plant something himself.

Oikawa grabbed an appropriate book on botany and plant growth, and headed for the door out. Shirabu milled around in front of it, his ears twitching and jerking impatiently.

"Shirabu. No," Oikawa said.

Shirabu looked up at him. Shirabu's eyes narrowed, and his ears flattened. He glanced away to stare at the door, and his ears twitched up.

The door opened. Shirabu slowly stepped out, proud of undoing the magic lock. Oikawa took a heavy warning step, and Shirabu scampered away, running in the direction of the unborn garden.

"Shirabu, get back here! I'm not finished with that!"

Shirabu ran to the corner of the patch of dirt and thumped his foot. Oikawa hurried over and started nudging Shirabu away with his foot.

"You don't get to pick what I plant!"

Shirabu struggled against his foot, trying to dodge and run around. Oikawa dropped his books and stooped to grab Shirabu by his sides, and Shirabu started kicking in the air.

Normally Shirabu was fine with being petted, and even now he wasn't that upset, but he was kicking so fast that his stray foot movements managed to claw Oikawa on the arm. Oikawa held him out further from himself.

Oikawa looked into Shirabu's bright squinted eyes, and at the twitching nose underneath. Shirabu could express himself well without being able to frown or smile, his eyes clear in their delivery. Shirabu was just annoyed, his shoulders hitched up in irritation.

Oikawa angled Shirabu away so he wouldn't have to look directly at Shirabu. Oikawa had a weakness to Shirabu's deep brilliant eyes and crinkled fur, and there was no fighting the charm. Shirabu was a small brown bundle of fluff.

Oikawa placed him inside, locking him in the living room with a temporary trapping spell. Shirabu scrabbled at the floor trying to undo it. By the time he was free, Oikawa was already finished with the garden.

Oikawa stuck his tongue out at Shirabu. "I'm done."

Shirabu sat back on his haunches, shifting a little as he glared. Oikawa waved him off.

"If I let you pick what to plant, then we'd have nothing but watermelons and strawberries," Oikawa said.

Shirabu slowly walked away, his feet stepping in exaggerated, annoyed kicks. He went to the corner of the rug in the living room and sat there huddled under a fort of pillows, looking out and sniffing the air. 

"Put those back when you're done," Oikawa said.  

Shirabu let out a huff and settled down, dropping his head onto the floor to lie down.

Oikawa sunk into a seat on the couch nearby and hefted a book over. It was the book he had his eye on earlier, on transformations. Oikawa opened it to the bookmarked page and read it over.

Reading it attracted Shirabu's attention, and he scampered out to get closer, his ears perking in interest.

Oikawa turned a little away. "Let me read in peace." Oikawa frowned. "And don't you have something to do? I thought I told you yesterday to go fix the lamp upstairs. You're the one that made me buy it." 

Shirabu's impudent sniff told Oikawa that Shirabu hadn't done it yet, and he wasn't going to do it now. 

"Fine. Sit until I'm done. I know you can tell that this spell is for you." 

Shirabu leapt up on the couch and sat down, his eyes glowing with curiosity. He wilted as time passed, and he glanced around in boredom, his interest dulling until Oikawa finished.

"This sounds easy," Oikawa said. "Alright. Shirabu, I found a spell that can turn you into a human for a little while. Want to try it?"

Shirabu tapped his paws together in the air.

"I… I don't know what you're saying, but I'll take that as a yes."

Shirabu nodded and lowered his paws. He was suddenly very docile and cooperative, moving around slowly instead of running everywhere and out the door.

Oikawa made Shirabu sit under a pile of clothes. Oikawa assumed that Shirabu would be naked, and he didn't want to see him. Shirabu huffed underneath it in annoyance, but he didn't move out from under it, he only shifted a bit. The clothes pile twitched with him, shaking and rustling, and unsettling a few socks.

"Ready?"

A low noise came from the pile in response.

Oikawa's hands glowed, magic coursing through him and out into the air. Shirabu twitched more under the clothes, and as the magic left Oikawa, he saw the small lump of laundry grow and rise into a human-size lump.

Oikawa lowered his hands. "Are you in there?"

"Where else would I be?" he croaked. Shirabu's voice was hoarse, but he sounded fine and safe.

Oikawa turned around. "Hurry up and get dressed. I wanna see what you look like."

Shirabu grumbled and fumbled with the clothes lying on top of him. Oikawa realized Shirabu didn't know how to put clothes on himself, and Oikawa ended up clicking his tongue and helping, careful not to completely look. It was out of "courtesy," in his words.

"You know a  _little_ magic. You should be able to figure it out yourself," Oikawa said. Oikawa stepped back to admire the result, smiling fondly and crossing his arms to lean back a little.

Shirabu tugged at the bottom of his shirt, frowning at it and letting it go. "It's a little big."

"You're perfect! Who cares." Oikawa grabbed Shirabu's wrist and turned it over, slipping his fingers over Shirabu's skin to admire the feeling of holding his wrist. "You're already well adjusted," he said with a hum. "Maybe that's why the spell book said this is only a spell for familiars. I think an ordinary house pet would go into shock, but an animal with magic could adapt." Oikawa tightened his grip.

Shirabu pulled his hand away, eyeing Oikawa. "You're…" He trailed off, indecisive with his sentence, and he sighed when he gave up.

"What's the matter?" Oikawa asked. His eyes were bright and sharp, taking in Shirabu eagerly, but his tone didn't hold any concern.

"Nothing." Shirabu dusted his arms off and stretched them in the air experimentally.

Shirabu glanced at Oikawa and saw him staring back expectantly in a soft smile.

"What?" Shirabu asked.

Oikawa stepped forward and pinched his cheek. "You're so  _cute_!"

Shirabu's breath left him as Oikawa ruffled his hair, running his hands over Shirabu's shoulders and back to his face, squishing his cheeks. Shirabu let Oikawa squeeze his mouth together and handle his fingers, but he squinted at Oikawa through it.

"Are you done?"

Oikawa dropped his hands. "For now," he said, his trailing tone leaving an unfinished promise.

Shirabu glanced at his own hands one more time, his eyebrows wrinkling in thought.

"Now you can help out around here properly! Go take out the trash."

Shirabu pursed his lips and walked away quietly as he slowly tested his feet. He only stumbled once, and he carried his momentum to the wall to catch himself.

Shirabu returned a few minutes later. "Where is it? You never told me to do it before."

Oikawa snickered and walked by, leading him to the kitchen with a wave. "I thought you knew already from watching. Watch one more time."

Shirabu grunted to let Oikawa know he was paying attention. Oikawa hummed and showed him a spell, tying up a trash bag before teleporting it away. 

"I don't know how to do that."

"Do it the mortal way, then!" Oikawa flipped the trash can closed.

Shirabu's nose scrunched up, but he didn't make any remarks. He went back to the living room, and Oikawa remained in the kitchen, lazily washing dishes with a spell to make the dishes and sponges move on their own. 

Oikawa finished and walked back to check on Shirabu. Shirabu sat cross-legged under his usual pillows, making it look more like a pile than his usual hideaway of pillows leaning against each other.

"If you're just going to do that, then I'll change you back," Oikawa said.

Shirabu's nose scrunched. "No."

"Then sit on the couch."

Shirabu gathered the pillows and relocated to the couch glumly. He pressed one in between himself and the armrest, another at his other side, and one at his chest. Cushioned on all sides, he sat in contended silence.

Oikawa dragged a book over from the table next to him, resting it in his lap. There was something relaxing about wind magic, and Oikawa wanted to stir some up again. 

Shirabu tilted. There wasn't that much room on the couch, so a few scoots and he was already at Oikawa's side. He fixed his mouth in a steady frown until he felt Oikawa's hand reach for his head, ruffling his hair like it was fur.

Oikawa snapped his hand away. "I'm not petting you."

"You always do it."

"When you had _fur_. People don't just pet each other." Oikawa's hand gravitated towards Shirabu's head, and he pulled it back. "Did you use a  _spell_ on me?"

"No."

"My hand won't stop moving! You lying little…"

Shirabu watched with veiled amusement as Oikawa struggled to keep his arm in place. Oikawa broke the spell after a few moments, and he halfheartedly glared at Shirabu.

"I think you've had your fun as a human."

"No, wait. I'm sorry."

"Say it like you mean it."

"Sorry."

"That sounds worse!"

Shirabu breathed out through his nose. "Sorry."

"I guess you tried…" Oikawa's attention drew back to his book. "Learn some useful magic."

"Fine." Shirabu shrunk to fit around the clenched pillow in his hands. 

 

* * *

 

Oikawa came to his room to sleep, and he found the pillows and blanket levitating in the air. Shirabu sat in the middle of his bed, staring into space with his eyes narrowed in a mix of concentration and irritation. 

"What are you doing?" Oikawa asked.

"Learning magic."

"Levitation magic…  I'm a little impressed."

"Thanks."

A pillow swooped over Oikawa, and as he ducked, he noticed flecks of starry dust hovering in the air in between all the pillows. 

"I  _hope_  you're not doing anything wrong…"

"Don't worry. I'm not," Shirabu said.

Oikawa couldn't find anything wrong, so he moved on. He waved at the bed. "Get off. I'm going to sleep."

Shirabu let the pillows drop, and he shimmied to the side.

"Get  _off_."

"I can't fit in my bed anymore."

Oikawa's mouth fell through an open grimace. "I'll change you back, then."

" _No_."

"Come on, get over here."

Shirabu jumped off the bed, and he sprinted out the door. Oikawa was too tired to chase him or even lift his hand to cast a spell, so he sighed and turned to his bed, undressing to change into pajamas. He flicked off the light and flopped into bed.

 

* * *

 

Oikawa woke up and trudged through the house. He was on his way to the kitchen when he saw Shirabu lying on the couch on his side. He was still asleep. He slept in the clothes Oikawa gave him, Oikawa's shirt falling a little past his waist and dripping down to the couch. 

Oikawa crept past, sighing and avoiding noise that could wake Shirabu up. He didn't turn the light on until he went into the kitchen, yawning quietly and shuffling in.

There was a large cluster of stars floating through the kitchen, shining and shimmering with a soft glow that cast shadows over the walls. They levitated in a slow orbit, wrapped up in their own gravity, spinning and tugging packets of sugar and cereal boxes along in the air like an asteroid belt.

Oikawa poked his head out of the kitchen. " _Shirabu!_ "

Shirabu scuffled on the floor and got up, walking to Oikawa with heavy feet. "What?"

"You didn't learn levitation magic, you learned  _celestial_ magic. Fix this!"

Shirabu rubbed at his eyes. "I don't know how. Don't you?"

"I don't know what you did. Really, Shirabu." Oikawa grabbed Shirabu's hand and dragged him in. Oikawa pushed on his back, shoving him more as he dug his feet into the floor.

Shirabu covered his eyes with his arm to shield himself from the ceiling light. Oikawa pulled his arm down and pointed.

" _Look_ at this mess. Stardust is getting everywhere."

"But it's a constellation of stars. Don't you like it?"

"That's not the point." Oikawa gestured at the table. "At least collect the stardust. I'll clean the rest."

Shirabu gathered it with his hands, clumping it in a pile and pushing it carefully off the table into an empty jar he found on the kitchen counter. Oikawa spelled the stars away and restored the room back to its ordinary condition.

"Shirabu," Oikawa said seriously, "don't ever do that again. I don't want to find a black hole next time."

"Alright, I'm sorry." Shirabu shook the jar. "At least we have stardust."

"I already have 5 jars full of stardust." Oikawa grumbled and took it from Shirabu's hands. "I don't know why I keep accumulating more."

Oikawa walked around the table to leave, and he stopped. "If you left a few stars in here, then when were you in here?"

"I ate earlier."

"You mean you ate in the middle of the night." Oikawa set the jar on the table and opened the fridge, glancing up and down. He shrugged his hand and dropped it. "I can't believe you ate all the apples."

"There was only three."

"That's all of them."

Oikawa closed the fridge and picked the jar back up to put it in the cabinet in the potion pantry. "I'm not buying more apples for a while." Oikawa turned around. "And put something else on. You've already worn that for an entire day."

Oikawa led him to the room and gave him more clothes. Shirabu's clothes weren't dirty, but they looked sloppy now, as messy as his sleep-worn hair. 

Oikawa's mouth wrinkled in a frown to keep quiet. Shirabu's nose still scrunched and twisted like a bunny, twitching with a breath. Shirabu wasn't irritated by changing, but the crinkles around his eyes from his nose twitches made him look slightly annoyed. 

It was still adorable, Oikawa thought. Oikawa ruffled his hair and sent him out to finally fix the lamp he broke a few days ago, telling him to do it after he had breakfast.

"I can't believe you wanted me to do it even when I was a rabbit…" Shirabu mumbled under his breath.

Oikawa spent a few hours studying, downstairs away from Shirabu, and when he went outside, he found Shirabu in the backyard.

Shirabu was trapped in a barrier cage of magic, a small one that barely fit him, even while sitting down hunched. Oikawa burst out laughing.

"I set that for you when you were a rabbit!"

"Let me out!"

"I told you to stay away from the garden!"

Shirabu bristled and struggled to pry open the shimmering bars. "I didn't even do anything."

"I was being serious about staying away," Oikawa said. He still let out Shirabu out, but he was laughing, breathless by the time Shirabu stood up and patted off dust and dirt.

"I wish  _you_ were a serious witch. Kunimi's witch doesn't set up traps for his own familiar."

"Iwa-chan's a grump. I can't believe you're comparing me to him!"

Shirabu fell quiet, looking Oikawa over as Oikawa regained his breath from laughing. The breathless quality to his voice was soft and light, prickling Shirabu's ears attentively. Shirabu turned away.

"Go inside. I'll deactivate the rest of these."

Shirabu couldn't tell if Oikawa was lying about there being more, but he decided to believe the subtle threat, and he went directly inside. Oikawa followed him after a few minutes, and he found Shirabu nibbling on a leaf in the kitchen, a plate of salad in front of him for lunch. The salad was plain, just vegetables.

Oikawa grimaced. "You don't even want bread."

"No," Shirabu said, his voice muffled around a kale leaf.

Oikawa made a sandwich for himself and sat down, chewing slowly and watching Shirabu eat. Shirabu ate in small bites when he was a rabbit, but he had normal sized bites now. He picked up a leaf of lettuce, the crisp leaf crunching in his teeth. He made a lot of messes from rushing spells and running around a lot, but he was a neat eater, and Oikawa could tell that he even washed the vegetables before he sat down.

Oikawa stopped eating to place his chin into his hand, sighing and smiling a little.

Shirabu glanced up. "What are you doing?"

"Admiring you."

"Stop it. I'm just eating."

Oikawa sat back up. "Fine." 

Shirabu shifted to angle away from Oikawa slightly, his chair scooting and screeching on the floor.

"I was being sincere!"

Shirabu continued eating, ignoring him.

 

* * *

 

Oikawa tried reading silently in the living room for the night, pulling up a small table in front of him to hold his book, but Shirabu scuttled back to his side. 

"Is that levitation magic?"

"No."

Oikawa turned a page.

"Do you have a book on it? I can't find it."

"I'm a little busy," Oikawa said.

Shirabu shifted to look at the text on the page.

Oikawa stopped and looked at his own hand, and glanced at Shirabu. "What spell did you use the other day?"

"You mean yesterday?"

"Whatever you did to make my hand move," Oikawa said.

"I don't know, I wasn't paying attention."

Oikawa brought his hand to the side of his head. "You don't even remember?"

"No."

" _Shirabu…_ "

Shirabu reached forward to hold Oikawa's hand, turning it over and raising it above his head. Oikawa snapped it back.

"Go away," Oikawa said.

Shirabu barely obeyed, leaning over his side of the couch, away from Oikawa. He fell asleep, his body silently rising and falling with slow deep breaths.

Oikawa's eyes softened, and he gave a resigned breath that settled his shoulders. He reached over and sifted his hand into Shirabu's hair, scratching gently and rubbing his hand rhythmically until the sensation became fuzzy, almost like fur.

**Author's Note:**

> (General A/N that exists at the end of all my fics): I find unsolicited concrit really rude, I'm not looking for any. Please don't tell me someone was OOC/something happened you didn't like/it's too short/etc. in any bookmarks or comments.


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